Fifth person charged in Monte Sereno slaying

SAN JOSE -- A fifth person has been charged in connection with the slaying of a millionaire tech investor during a home-invasion robbery at his Monte Sereno mansion last fall.

Katrina Marie Fritz, 33, was arraigned Friday afternoon in the Nov. 30 killing of Raveesh Kumra. She is charged with murder in the commission of a robbery and a separate count of committing a home invasion robbery. Both charges come with a gang enhancement.

Clad in a red jumpsuit reserved for homicide defendants, Fritz was mostly silent during the brief hearing before she was led back to Santa Clara County jail.

Katrina Fritz, center, makes a court appearance but didn't enter plea on Feb. 22, 2013 at Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose. She has been charged in the killing of millionaire Raveesh Kumra at his Monte Sereno home during a November robbery. (Dai Sugano/Staff)
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Dai Sugano
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Fritz becomes the fourth murder defendant -- and second alleged prostitute involved -- in the case, joining her brother DeAngelo Austin, 21, and Javier R. Garcia, 21, both of Oakland, and Lukis D. Anderson, 26. Garcia and Austin also face a gang enhancement charge. Raven Dixon, 22, another alleged prostitute, is charged with being an accessory to the killing.

In their reports to prosecutors, investigators suggested other suspects are still being sought. Deputy District Attorney Kevin Smith lauded their doggedness in pursuing the case.

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"As I have been saying all along, the Los Gatos Police Department is not going to stop until they have pursued all leads and done all they can to bring to justice every person that was involved in the murder of Raveesh Kumra and the beating of Harinder Kumra," Smith said in a statement. "The arrest of Katrina Fritz, the fifth arrest in this murder, represents yet another example of their hard work and the teamwork of law enforcement in the bay area to assist the LGPD."

According to authorities, Fritz was one of three women -- including Dixon -- identified as frequenting the home of Kumra, who purportedly led a hedonistic lifestyle that included a harem of prostitutes.

Prosecutors say cellphone records show that she and her brother were in contact during the home invasion that resulted in Kumra's death and the beating of his ex-wife Harinder, who was the one who called police. Fritz is further accused of helping her brother once police started looking for him.

The killing shook the quiet town that had not seen a homicide in decades. Rumors circulated about what might have happened, and the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department remained tight-lipped as detectives quietly built a case and identified suspects.

According to a police statement of facts submitted to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, investigators have tied Garcia to an Oakland street gang dubbed "Ghost Town" and linked Austin to an affiliated street gang called "Money Team." Police say the gangs teamed up to commit home invasions targeting "Asian and East Indian" families.

DNA evidence linked Anderson to the killing; Garcia's DNA was also found at the home, according to authorities.

Staff writer Julia Prodis Sulek contributed to this story. Contact Robert Salonga at 408-920-5002. Follow him at Twitter.com/robertsalonga.